Roller skate



Allg 4, 1942 F. R. ATKINSON 2,291,600

ROLLER SKATE Filed Sept. 9, 1940 Patented Aug. 4, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROLLER SKATE Frank R. Atkinson, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application September 9, 1940, Serial No. 355,908

(Cl. SOI-5.7)

4 Claims.

This invention relates to roller skates.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved roller skate including a single roller structure for the fore part of the skate and a single roller structure for the rear part of the skate.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel an-d improved roller structure for roller skates, wherein the roller is supported by roller bearings and wherein the various parts can be readily replaced individually without replacement of other parts,

The objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 isa .plan view illustrating a roller skate for the left foot embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in Side elevation of the skate shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, as indicated by the arrows, the View being in enlarged scale; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, as indicated by the arrows.

In accordance with the invention there is `provided a shoe plate 5 shaped generally to conform to the shape of a shoe, having central strengthening ribs 6 and having an u-pturned edge flange I to give the same additional strength. This plate 5 has a plurality of small apertures 8 therein whereby the plate may -be secured as by screws 9 or rivets as to a shoe shown in dotted `lines and designated by the letter S. At the point where the ball of the `foot and at the point where the heel of the foot will overlie the plate 5, blocks I0 and II -are respectively employed at the top of plate 5, being of substantially the same thickness as the flange 1.

Fore and aft roller structures are provided for each skate, these structures being identical except for the fact that in the fore structure a pair of brackets I2 are employed'which are of somewhat different shape than the brackets I3 used in the aft structure. The brackets I2 and I3 are generally similar, ybut to .properly brace the same the brackets I2 are somewhat longer than the brackets I3.

Referring to the fore roller structure, shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the two brackets I2 oppose each other and are of angular shape, the upper flanges of the brackets being secured as by screws I4 to the block I0 after passing through the plate 5. A bolt I5 extends transversely between the two brackets I2 and is held in place thereon by lock washer I5a and a nut I5b. The bolt to the left of the screw-threaded portion receiving the nut II, as shown in Fig, 3 of the drawing, is of square shape in cross section and the central part of the =bolt is received within a central a-perture in -a tread cylinder I6, this aperture being square in cross section so that the tread cylinder will not turn on the bolt I5. Between the two ends of the tread cylinder I6 and the brackets I2 are located spacers I'I, which are apertured to receive the bolt I5. These spacers space the tread cylinder I6 from the brackets I2.

A sleeve I8 of considerably greater diameter than the diameter of the tread cylinder I6 surrounds the same, and a tire I9 preferably made of rather hard rubber, fibre or comparatively light metal, is carried by the sleeve I8. The sleeve I8 and the tire I9 are of less width than the spacing between the two brackets I2, and abutting the ends of the sleeve and bearing against the sides of the tire I9 are discs 20 and 2|. Screws 22 have heads countersunk in the disc 20, project through apertures in the tire I9, and have ends screw-threadedly received within the disc 2|.

A plurality of bearing rollers 23 are interposed between the tread cylinder I6 and the sleeve I8, and these rollers have trunnions 24 at their ends which project through trunnion apertures in apertured washers 25 nter-posed between the discs 2U and 2| respectively and the adjacent ends of the bearing rollers. 'I'he extreme outer ends of the trunnions 24 are also received within trunnion grooves 20a and 2Ia respectively formed in the discs 20 and 2I. The discs 20 and 2| and the apertured washers 25 have central openings therein of somewhat less diameter than the diameter of the tread cylinder I6, but of slightly greater diameter than the diameter of the spacers I l, whereby the said spacers may be received within said openings. Of course, the tread rollers 23 -bear against the tread cylinder I6 to produce a roller bearing structure, permitting the tire I3, sleeve I8, rdiscs 20 and 2| and washers 25 to readily revolve on the tread cylinder I6.

The tread plates 5 are made in rights and lefts for the different feet of the users and will be secured to the users shoes. In employing the roller skates, due to the fact that each skate includes only a single roller structure for the fore part of the skate and a single roller structure for the rear part of the skate, a skating action can be secured highly analogous to the skating action secured when ice skates are employed. Inv other words, the feet may be tilted readily relative to the surface over which the skater travels to a much greater extent than in the case of the ordinary roller skates where double rollers are employed at the fore part of the skate and double rollers are employed at the rear part of the skate. The corners of the tires I9 are preferably rounded, as shown, to permit 'of tilting action, and if these tires are made of partially resilient material, such as comparatively hard rubber or bre, good traction can be obtained to prevent side slippage. The roller bearing structure will cause the rollers of the skates to revolve with great ease without necessitating frequent lubrication. By reason of peculiar construction of each roller structure any of the parts can be easily replaced as they become worn without necessitating replacement of other parts. The tires I9, for example, can be frequently renewed without necessitating renewal of any of the other parts of the skate.

It will be seen that a highly efficient roller skate has been provided of cheap and simple construction.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement a`nd proportions of the various parts without departing from the scope of the present invention, which, generally stated, consists in the matter shown and described, and set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a roller skate, a supporting plate, a pair of roller brackets projecting downwardly from said plate, a cross pin carried by the brackets and extending between the same, a cylinder carried by the cross pin between the brackets, spacers of less diameter than said cylinder interposed between the ends of the vcylinder and adjacent brackets and carried by the pin, a sleeve of considerably larger diameter than said cylinder, said cylinder extending through said sleeve, a pair of centrally apertured discs for the sleeve respectively located at the opposite ends of the sleeve, the apertures of said discs being of less diameter than the cylinder and receiving therethrough said spacers, a plurality of cylindrical roller bearing members interposed between said sleeve and said cylinder, and an annular tire secured to said sleeve.

2. The structure dened in claim 1, said cylindrical roller bearing members having trunnions on their ends, and apertured washers receiving said trunnions and interposed between said discs and said roller bearing members.

3. The structure dened in claim 1, said cylindrical roller bearing members having trunnions at their ends, apertured washers receiving said trunnions, said washers being interposed between said discs and said roller bearing members, and said discs having circular grooves therein within which the outer ends of said trunnions are received.

4. In a roller skate, a supporting plate, a pair of opposite brackets projecting downwardly from the plate, a cross pin of polygonal shape mounted in and extending between the brackets, a cylinder having a transverse opening therethrough of polygonal shape'and located between the two brackets and receiving said pin, a pair of spacers of less diameter than the cylinder interposed between the ends of the cylinder and the adjacent brackets, a sleeve of considerably greater diameter than said cylinder and receiving the cylinder within the same, an apertured disc at each end of said sleeve, the apertures in which discs are smaller in diameter than the diameter of said cylinder and which disc apertures receive said spacers, an annular tire within which said sleeve is received, means extending between said discs and projecting through said tire for securing the tire in position, a plurality of cylindrical roller bearing members interposed between said sleeve and said cylinder, said roller bearing members having projecting trunnions at their ends, and a plurality of apertured washers interposed between said discs and said roller bearing members and receiving said trunnions therein, said discs having circular grooves in their inner sides receiving the inner ends of said trunnions.

FRANK R.. ATKINSON. 

